Next month, Scott’s Addition will officially be home to Brainstorm Brewhouse, a majority Black-owned brewery.

The new brewery is a venture headed by beer aficionados CM Bryant and Darryl Puller. It was formed after conversations with Bill Cavender, owner of Black Heath Meadery, who had empty space at his Dabney Road production facility. Bryant and Puller were formerly involved with another Richmond brewery, Capsoul Brewing Collective, before deciding to part ways last year.

A few months ago, over some craft brews at the Answer Brewery, longtime acquaintances Puller and Cavender were brainstorming. They eventually brought Bryant into the venture as well. In addition to sharing a production facility, Brainstorm and Black Heath also share a taproom at 1313 Altamont Ave., where the brewery recently hosted beer previews and held a soft opening.

Puller, with over a decade of home-brewing experience, will handle the brewing, while Bryant takes care of the business’ other needs.

The craft beer scene in Richmond is a primarily white space. One of the biggest goals with this new venture is to get more Black people into craft beers, Puller said.

Brainstorming has been central to the brewery’s development, from how to source equipment to what the unique offerings will be. So it felt appropriate to name their business accordingly, Bryant said. 

The brewery currently has some variety in what it has offered so far: Buzz Worthy, a honey lager; Kiss of Chocolate, a chocolate lager; and Psych Eval, a double IPA.

“The hope is that we can offer more of a one-stop destination for people where you can come out with a group of folks and drink a variety of beers, for the folks that are into beer,” Cavender said.

Puller said the soft launches for the business have so far been “humbling and rewarding.”

“I’m decent at some things, but I feel like I’m pretty good at this beer thing,” he said. “For people to receive it and actually appreciate it and want more, it’s cool.”